Caesar's New Weapon
by CrazyBeaver
Summary: An Asterix fic! Looks like Julius Caesar has found a new way to conquer the Indomitable Gauls! What will Asterix and his friends do to save their village? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

_**Caesar's New Weapon**_

**Chapter One**

The sun was rising in the little Gaulish village we all know so well. The Indomitable Gauls were going out of their huts to breathe in some fresh air. Well… it turned out to be not so fresh though…

"Unhygienix! Today your fish stinks even worse than usually!" It was an old tradition for Fulliautomatix – being angry about the state of Unhygienix's fish. In a few moments our Gauls' favourite entertainment was on – the "fish fight". Only Asterix, Getafix and Cacophonix didn't participate. The latter was observing the situation from his hut on the tree.

"Cacofonix! What are Romans doing at the moment?" asked Getafix the druid.

"Nothing. Probably watching us from the tower they built a couple of weeks ago," answered the bard.

"I don't like this at all," Asterix said thoughtfully. "They must be up to something…"

"Asterix, we will NOT attack the Roman camp!" interrupted Getafix. "Not now, when there are so few herbs in the forest! We must economize them! We'll use the potion only when it's urgent"

"Fine…" Asterix agreed unwillingly. "Obelix, stop fighting, that's enough! Let's go hunting!"

Meanwhile, Caesar was thinking of a new plan…

"Here is the poison, o Caesar," said the courier who had just arrived. "Barbarians in some far-away provinces spread it on the pikes of their arrows – and their enemy dies in agony"

"Caesar! THIS is the solution to our problem!" exclaimed Snufflicus, Caesar's advisor. "We can get rid of those Gauls once and for all!"

Caesar paused for some time, considering his advisor's words. On the one hand, it was a barbarity, unworthy of a real Roman. On the other hand, the perspective of conquering the entire Gaul was too alluring…

"How much poison do you have?" he asked the courier finally.

"Not much," the courier was confused. "I brought it here only to show it to you"

"Send all poison you have to our camps near that village! Those Gauls are unbearable! And if Cleopatra finds out, you will be all sent to the lions!"

After the subordinates had left, the commander kept sitting, deep in thoughts. What a disgrace – to use such methods! But it was all those Gauls' fault. And soon it will be all over…

* * *

_A/N I'm sorry it's so short!__ The next one is going to be a little longer)_

_Snufflicus the advisor was created by me, I hope I thought of an appropriate name :)_

_Please read and review!_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Asterix and Obelix were hunting in the forest. Obelix was already carrying two boars. Suddenly, Asterix stopped, listening to something attentively.

"Can you hear it?" he whispered. "Some strange noise…"

"What's strange about it?" asked Obelix. "It's just boars trying to hide. But they won't hide anywhere!" With that, he threw the boars on the ground and ran into the covert.

"No, I meant that…" Asterix started to explain but noticed that Obelix was already nowhere to be seen. Then the little Gaul started walking to the source of that noise. Soon he saw a small glade where a few Romans were shooting at targets.

"Centurion says we must practice a lot," said one of them. "But how can we practice with all those crazy Gauls around?"

"Yeah!" another Roman agreed. "And I thought shooting was a disgrace for a real Roman. I guess Caesar is obsessed with the idea of killing all those Gauls by all means!"

"Hey, shush you there! Or you can meet lions in the circus for conversations like that!" said the third and the oldest of the Romans. "Who are you to discuss Caesar's orders?"

"There are rumours," the first two got back to their dialogue, "that Caesar's doing his best to hide this from Cleopatra – she likes these Gauls too much…"

Asterix froze, thinking, what he should do. Before going hunting he drank some magic potion, so getting over a few Romans would be very easy. On the other hand, it would be better now to hide the fact that the Romans' secret weapon is not that secret anymore. Having chosen the second option, Asterix left without making any noise.

Asterix returned to the path and saw Obelix waiting for him, holding two more boars.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "Take the boars, let's go home"

* * *

When our friends had finally arrived at the village, Asterix suddenly stopped.

"I need to talk to Vitalstatistix," he said and hurried to the chief's hut.

Obelix gave his friend a surprised look.

"Oh, Asterix just HAS to have some secrets all the time!" he muttered to Dogmatix. "Why does he need to be so serious? And we'll go and cook our boars for lunch, shan't we, little buddy?"

* * *

"… bows, you're saying?" Vitalstatistix was walking back and forth excitedly. Asterix and Getafix were watching him quietly. "This is no good. Romans aren't playing by the rules. We used to have a lot of fun with them but now somebody can get really hurt!"

Asterix and Getafix rolled their eyes – sometimes it seemed to them that they were the only people in the village to take the war with Rome seriously.

"I must warn everybody," the chief said flatly and left the hut.

"Attention!" he shouted loudly. "I need to make an important announcement".

"No!" exclaimed Asterix. "Chief, don't do it this way!"

"Don't interrupt your chief!" Vitalstatistix could be really majestic sometimes. "The Romans are going to use a new weapon on us – a bow and arrows. Our superhuman strength won't help here. We've got to think of something else…"

"Excellent!" shouted Asterix who had tried to interrupt the chief's speech to no effect. "Now the Romans know we know about their weapon!" he made a gesture towards the tower the Romans had built previously. "Now we might have no time to think of anything!"

"Asterix, _couldn't you have told about it earlier_?!" yelled Vitalstatistix. Asterix didn't answer, turning red and clenching his teeth, trying not to loose his temper.

_Still hoping for your reviews! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Meanwhile, the Roman camp was in chaos…

"What do you mean, only one gourd?!" Centurion Crismus Bonus yelled angrily. "Was it _so_ hard to bring the poison here?! By Jupiter, you will all end up at the circus, with lions!"

"But, Centurion…" one of the couriers started making excuses gingerly. "It's just a batch. We must get more soon…"

"Batch?" centurion roared. "We have poison for only one arrow!" He fell silent for a while, trying to calm down. "How's the training of the bowmen going?" he asked Stupidus, one of his soldiers.

"Everything is going as planned!" answered the latter.

"Bring our best bowman here!"

Stupidus turned to the tent's exit, bumped into a worried soldier who had run inside a moment before, and went outside to look for Robinhoodus – the best bowman of the legion.

"Centurion!" exclaimed the worried soldier. "The Gauls know everything! They know about our secret weapon!"

"What?!" it was one of Crismus Bonus's bad days. "We must act while they are still not ready!"

"Centurion!" said Stupidus who had already returned, accompanied by some inconspicuous soldier. "This is Robinhoodus – the legion's best bowman".

"Well, Robinhoodus," Crismus Bonus said solemnly, "the time has come for you to serve your country…"

* * *

At the Gaulish chief's place the council was on.

"This is against the rules," Vitalstatistix said. "I'm afraid we have to ask somebody's help".

"Cleopatra!" Asterix had an idea. "She'll help us!"

"That's right!" exclaimed the others. "We need to send someone to Egypt!"

"I can go there now," Asterix went on, "all I need is a gourd of magic potion…"

"You will not go anywhere without me, Asterix!" roared Obelix. "All _I_ need is enough food".

"No!" Vitalstatistix said sharply. "We need your wit, Asterix, and your strength, Obelix, here. We'll send someone else. Allegorix and Atlantix, you will go to Egypt".

The chief was uncompromising. The couriers went to take some things they needed for their journey. All of a sudden, Cacofonix burst into the hut.

"The Romans attack!!!" he cried. Everybody flinched: first due to his squeaky voice, then – having realized that this time it could be serious.

"Drink our magic potion!" Getafix commended. Luckily, the cauldron with the potion was already there, at Vitalstatistix's.

"We need something to defend us," Asterix thought aloud. "Got it! Roman shields! There are a lot of them left after our battles!"

"Yes, there must be enough for all of us," added Vitalstatistix. "Take the shields! Impedimenta, take women and children to a safe place!"

"And what about our couriers?" reminded Fulliautomatix.

"They will go to the sea and take a boat. We'll distract the Romans' attention from them," the chief explained. "And let's hope they'll be quick".

"Dogmatix, you will stay here, daddy will be back soon," Obelix cooed to his dog.

Having drunk some potion, the Gauls took the shields. There was one problem, though: the Gauls didn't have a shield big enough for Obelix. So, to his chagrin, it was decided that he would be covering their backs. Of course he was upset about it – he was missing the opportunity to have so much fun!

So, the villagers joined the battle. The only unusual thing about them was, of course, the fact that they had shields.

Asterix felt very uncomfortable since he was smaller than his own shield. But he did justice to it when arrows started whistling around.

The Gauls were moving forward slowly. The Romans didn't know what to do – the enemies were getting closer and closer. Soon it was pointless to shoot – the Gauls built up a "tortoise", covered with shields from every side. Making use of the Romans' panic, the Indomitable Gauls started advancing faster, and soon things were going on as usual: having left the heavy munitions, the villagers were just having fun. Of course, the Romans weren't happy with that at all.

* * *

Robinhoodus, unseen by anybody, was hiding at a branch of a tree with a bow and a single arrow. He had no right to mistake. He couldn't fail. Crismus Bonus had explained everything very clearly. He also had said it was preferable to aim at the little Gaul with yellow whiskers or at the fat one. The bowman chose the latter – it was just easier to strike him. The time has come. He can't miss his target now…

* * *

Asterix stopped for a while to get some rest and look around. He had some kind of a nasty feeling. He saw Obelix kicking some poor Roman devotedly. But then, suddenly he looked at the tree not far from them. He saw the weapon aimed at Obelix. He had to act at once; there was no time to think.

"Obelix, watch out!" and he jumped at his friend. But it didn't go as he had planned – it turned out to be impossible to strike Obelix down, even under the effects of magic potion. That is why the well-covered Gaul simply caught Asterix with his hands.

"What's going on with you?" he asked quizzically. "Why are you jumping like tha…" He didn't finish the second question because he saw a grimace of pain on his friend's face. Then he felt something streaming down his arms. When Obelix saw what it was he flinched: it was blood. Asterix's blood.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reviewing! I hope not to disappoint!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Robinhoodus could be proud of himself – he didn't waste the arrow, even though he had aimed at another Gaul. After all, the Gaul he shot was one of those two to be shot first. Now it was important not to get noticed. And then he would go and tell Centurion about everything…

* * *

Obelix was in panic. He was still holding his friend. He could sense something on Asterix's back, something that wasn't supposed to be there… Nobody around paid attention on them, all Gauls were busy with their favourite occupation. There was still a grimace of pain in the little Gaul's face.

"Obelix…" said Asterix in a weak, a little hoarse voice. This brought Obelix to his senses at once_. "Asterix is hurt," he thought. "What am I supposed_ _to do? What is going to happen?" _Another wave of panic came. But this time Obelix came round quickly and ran to the village at a great speed. _I've got to bring Asterix to the druid. Getafix will cure him. He will._

* * *

Allegorix and Atlantix were approaching Cleopatra's palace.

"It's good we've got our potion," Atlantix noted. "With the help of it we can get everywhere very quickly!"

"Yes," Allegorix agreed, "it would have been much faster without those pirate ships messing around…"

* * *

The Indomitable Gauls were going home after a good fight with Romans.

"Wait a minute," Fulliautomatix suddenly stopped. "Where are Asterix and Obelix?"

"Have they left first?" Vitalstatistix asked, surprised. "It's not like them at all… I hope they are okay".

* * *

Obelix was sitting near Getafix's hut. Dogmatix was sitting by his master's side, whimpering softly. Little time had passed but Obelix wondered why the sun was still so high, why the day was so long. How could this all have happened? The Roman bowman must have been hiding somewhere… And Asterix had gone to bat for his friend like he had used to do in childhood. Then, however, Asterix had got only some bruises, and now…

Almost simultaneously, men and women with children came to the village from different sides. They noticed Obelix at once.

"Obelix, what's wrong with you?" asked Unhygienix.

"Is it… blood?" exclaimed Mrs. Geriatrix.

Obelix looked at himself. He was so oblivious to everything that he hadn't even cleaned the blood. "It's not mine," he muttered and recommenced staring at the ground again. At this moment, Getafix came out of his hut.

"Obelix, Asterix is very lucky – you have brought him to me in time," said the druid. "I've pulled the arrow out but he has lost a lot of blood. Now he needs to rest".

The other Gauls were listening attentively, beginning to understand what had happened. Somebody sighed, full of sympathy.

"But the blood loss is not the worst," Getafix shook his head. "As far as I can judge, the arrow was poisonous…"

Everyone was shocked with the news.

"But… but you will cure him…?" asked Obelix. Of course he will. Getafix can do everything. Or at least almost everything.

"I'll do my best," the druid said softly, letting out an uneasy smile, and went back to his hut.

"Fortunately, the Romans will not attack in the next few days," Vitalstatistix sighed. "We've taught them a good lesson this time".

After that the Gauls went to their homes, whispering aggrievedly, and Obelix followed Getafix. Dogmatix didn't leave his master for a while.

* * *

"… and you expect, Gauls," Cleopatra was walking back and forth in front of Allegorix and Atlantix who were watching her with great interest, "that I will believe you? Yes, I do have some friends from your country but I don't know you at all! Caesar is my husband. I think you are just slandering!"

"But…" the Gauls started to object.

"Stop it! Go away!" it was better not to make the Queen angry.

* * *

"Well, we should have sent Asterix and Obelix," Allegorix said, taking his seat in the boat by which they had come.

"Yes," Atlantix agreed. "We are wasting our time. But there is nothing we can do. We must go home and tell everybody about it. Then let anyone go to Egypt".


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing! I should warn you: in this chapter there are some dark themes and Getafix is a little OOC, I guess… So… no flames, please!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Caesar was already on his way to the camp near the Indomitable Gaulish village. He wanted to see all the events by himself.

Crismus Bonus received the dictator with full honours.

"Oh, Centurion," said Caesar, smiling graciously. "What's new? Have you received the poison?"

"Er…" Centurion was a little confused. "You see, the amount we got was enough for only one arrow…"

"What?!" Caesar's grace disappeared at once. "And haven't you tested it yet?"

"We have," Crismus Bonus smiled proudly. "One of the Gauls is hurt. The little one with yellow whiskers".

"Asterix?" asked Caesar. After all that had happened in his life he developed some kind of respect for that Gaul. But still, they were enemies. "And how is he doing?"

"We are watching them from our new tower" Centurion was surprised that Caesar knew the Gaul's name.

"Inform me about everything," ordered the dictator and went to his tent.

* * *

Allegorix and Atlantix were still in the open sea.

"If not for the pirates, there would be enough of the potion for the whole way," Atlantix sighed.

"We are wasting time again," Allegorix agreed. "Let's try to row faster…"

* * *

Obelix was sitting at Getafix's hut for some time already, staring at his friend's pale face. In all this time, Asterix woke up only twice – just to ask for some water. Finally, Obelix felt he couldn't take it anymore.

"I guess I'll go to my quarry," he told the druid quietly. "Please call for me if anything changes".

Getafix nodded in understanding. Obelix went outside to see it was already night.

The druid stayed with Asterix. In the early morning he noticed that the little Gaul's breath was becoming more calm and steady. The strange half-delirious state changed into a deep sleep. But Getafix didn't hurry to call for Obelix – he still couldn't leave Asterix like that.

* * *

It was already noon when Allegorix and Atlantix finally moored. Having left the boat quickly, they ran to the village. Odalix who was standing near the village gate saw them and went to call for everyone. Soon all the villagers (except Asterix and Getafix) were standing under the tree on which Cacofonix's hut was situated. Even Obelix came there. The couriers ran up to them and soon were surrounded by their fellows.

"At last you are back!" exclaimed Vitalstatistix. Meanwhile, unseen by the others, Getafix went out of his hut and stood nearby, listening to the news.

"What did Cleopatra say?" asked Fulliautomatix.

"She didn't believe us!" Allegorix didn't hide his anger. "She said that she didn't know us in person and that Caesar was her husband, so…"

"So we have to send Asterix," stated Atlantix.

"Oh, you don't know," sighed the chief. "He will definitely stay here for a while…" suddenly, he noticed the druid. "By the way, how is Asterix doing now?"

"I… I don't know how to tell you this…" Getafix answered in a trembling voice. He sighed and went on, "He… he died this morning".

The last thing the druid heard before entering his hut was that Obelix roared as though in pain and burst into tears.

* * *

"You told them WHAT?!" Asterix would have probably yelled but now he barely had the strength to talk. He was staring at the druid in disbelief.

"Even more, I told them that I had already buried you. My hut is a little aside so nobody can be sure about my actions. You see, the Romans are still watching us," Getafix explained. "They don't know that the magic potion you had drunk before the battle neutralized the poison. And having heard that Cleopatra would believe only you they would start a real hunt after you. And you know you are still too weak to fight, and even the magic potion can't help you fully recover. The wound is serious itself. And while they think you are dead, you are safe. And if our friends ask me any questions I can always explain everything with the will of the gods – don't forget who druids are".

"Okay, okay," Asterix was already tired of this monologue. "But, anyway, it's just not right. There must be a better way…" The little Gaul didn't want even to imagine how Obelix could have reacted. He felt as though his head was becoming very heavy and so were his eyelids.

"Believe me, Asterix, this is the only way," the druid said quietly, seeing that his younger friend was falling asleep. "And now you need to rest. You are our only hope".


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N Thanks for the reviews! Here is another chapter! :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Centurion!" a worried soldier ran into Crismus Bonus's tent. "The poison has its effects! The Gaul is dead!" He noticed Caesar and fell silent.

The dictator had a strange feeling all of a sudden. This Gaul had helped him out of different problems, and now… Was it… guilt? However, Caesar sent those thoughts away and managed a delighted smirk.

"At last… at least something works on them…" he muttered. "Now we must come up with a good plan. We must think carefully but without loosing time…"

* * *

The next evening Asterix felt much better. All that day he had been trying not to think about what could be going on with Obelix and the others. Finally, he decided to talk to Getafix.

"Are they still thinking that I…" the little Gaul paused. It was weird to say such things about himself.

"Yes, I told them nothing since… since then".

"Why don't you ask them to come here? They will see me and the Romans won't find out the truth… And while outside, they will pretend they know nothing," Asterix sought for the answer desperately.

"Just imagine all the villagers coming to my place! Wouldn't it look suspicious?" the druid didn't give up.

"That tower! It must be destroyed!" Asterix exclaimed.

"It's too dangerous! I don't know for sure whether the potion acts as an antidote. Maybe you were just lucky," sighed Getafix. "The Romans will attack anyway but we have to be careful".

"At least tell Obelix the truth. Please call him here," asked the little Gaul, defeated.

Getafix paused to think for a while. He remembered Obelix's cry and felt sorry for the poor fellow who thought he had lost his best friend. Maybe he'd better know the truth…

"Well… okay," the druid finally agreed and left his hut.

The sun had already set but it still wasn't dark outside. Getafix had spotted Obelix even before he came to the quarry. The well-covered Gaul was sitting on the ground, his back resting against a big menhir. There were still tears on his cheeks though he wasn't crying at the moment. Dogmatix was lying on his master's lap, whimpering quietly. The druid felt guilty – this was partly his fault after all. He came closer and had to call Obelix's name for several times before finally getting noticed.

"Let's go, Obelix," Getafix smiled softly, "I'll show you something".

Obelix stood up and obeyed without saying a word. They could see Getafix's hut when suddenly something started sparkling in the sky. The Romans had decided to burn the village! The frightened villagers were leaving their huts and running to the seaside. Getafix dashed to his hut the roof of which was already on fire.

"Are you mad?" yelled Obelix. He swept the druid up and followed the others to the seaside holding the older man in his arms.

Getafix tried to free himself and shouted desperately but his voice drowned in the other Gauls' screams.

* * *

Asterix lay in bed holding his gourd, still almost full of magic potion, in one hand and his sword in the other. He was looking forward to the moment when he'd be able to use them again… Somehow he knew he wouldn't have to wait for long. Suddenly he heard some strange noise outside, combined with terrified screams. Then there was some cracking noise right above Asterix's head, and the little Gaul smelled smoke. He didn't have the time to react though – all of a sudden, the roof fell down. It was so heavy that the floor broke down under its weight, and Asterix, covered with the remains of Getafix's housetop, fell down to some kind of a basement.

* * *

Caesar was looking at the burning village. He remembered the last time it had been on fire – his soldiers had had to rebuild it then… There was some sort of a peace after that… _Yes, it is great that Cleopatra knows nothing about it!_

* * *

Asterix crawled from under the broken roof as fast as he could. He was really lucky since he experienced such a crash without any serious injuries. Above his head there was nothing but fire and smoke so it was just impossible to get out. It was just then when he noticed a passage in the wall of the basement. To go there was the only option. So the little Gaul started walking in the darkness barely managing to move his legs. Red and pink spots started appearing before his eyes but he did his best in order not to faint. He took a sip of magic potion just to be able to move. Suddenly something fell right behind him – there was no way back. Asterix hoped that the passage wouldn't lead him to a dead end or else he would be trapped.

Some time later the Gaul felt a breeze to his face. That was quite an inspiring sign.

Finally, Asterix came out and was surprised to find himself at the seaside. He could see a boat (probably the one Allegorix and Atlantix had used) nearby and hear the other Gauls' voices somewhere around. Asterix felt as tired as never before. He lay on the ground and shut his eyes to have a little rest.

* * *

Vitalstatistix called for Obelix.

"Obelix," the chief sighed but went on, "I know Asterix was your best friend and I am really sorry about… about what had happened. But we need Cleopatra to find out about it. Among all of us, she knew only Asterix, Getafix and you. So I'm asking you to travel to Egypt…"

"Okay," Obelix agreed with no expression in his voice.

"Do you need anything?" the chief asked softly. "Or should I send somebody with you? Or some food perhaps? You know we have some hidden here…"

"I'm not hungry," was the answer, "and I'll go there alone. Just… keep an eye on Getafix, he behaves strangely".

The druid was sitting with his hands on his temples, murmuring something under his breath.

Obelix went to take the boat. Suddenly Getafix got up to his feet and followed the red-haired man. _I must tell him the truth, even though it doesn't matter anymore. _He caught up with Obelix when the latter was already approaching the boat. Getafix opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly noticed… _It can't be true!_

The druid dashed to Asterix who lay not far from them and was already gaining consciousness.

"Asterix! Thank gods!" Getafix exclaimed. Having heard this, Obelix turned round and saw his best friend alive. First he thought it was either a dream, or some sort of madness. But sometime later, while the druid was explaining everything, Obelix was hugging Asterix so tightly he could break his friend's ribs easily. But of course it didn't happen – despite being tight Obelix's hugs were always very careful.

"So," asked Asterix, having freed himself at last, "are we going to Egypt or what?"

"Are you sure you will be fine during the journey?" asked Getafix, concerned.

"It looks like we have no choice. Obelix can't go there alone," was the answer. "And we should hurry up".


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N __Thanks for the reviews! Here's another chapter! Hope you'll like it! And sorry it's so short... _

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Obelix was rowing as fast as he could. It was a long journey, and they didn't have much time. But now, when Asterix was… back, everything seemed possible.

Asterix didn't feel very well. The speed of their boat was very high and the little Gaul felt kind of seasick. However, he tried not to think about the difficulties and hurried the craft in spirit.

* * *

The Indomitable Gauls moved to an island not far from their village which (or, to be exact, the burned remains of which) was already penetrated by the Romans. The Gauls knew the enemies would come to capture them soon. The women were sobbing quietly and the men were thinking about something silently.

"The gods have left us," Impedimenta said.

"Yes!" Mrs. Geriatrix agreed. "First Asterix, then our entire village… What is to become of us?"

"Now our hope is Obelix," Vitalstatistix sighed.

Getafix kept silent.

* * *

Captain Redbeard was floating among the remains of his latest ship again. In a very censored way his thoughts could be described as "These Gauls are crazy!"

* * *

"These pirates are crazy!" Obelix exclaimed.

"And I think it was nice to meet our old friends," said Asterix and both of them laughed. They were already approaching Cleopatra's palace.

"Halt, Gauls!" suddenly some Romans appeared in front of our friends. "You will not pass!"

"Asterix," asked Obelix, "what are we going to do now?"

"Just… be polite," the little Gaul answered calmly.

"Hurray!" exclaimed the red-haired Gaul. "And I can be really polite!"

* * *

Robinhoodus had been happy to be sent away from those crazy Gauls to Egypt. It was a generous reward. And now who did he meet here? The very same Gauls! _Looks like that Gaul survived… No! It must be over at last! It's a pity I don't have my bow with me…_

* * *

Soon the Romans lay on the ground, counting their remaining teeth. Asterix who had been watching the fight was smiling, delighted: good old times.

"Asterix, behind you!" Obelix shouted all of a sudden. With a great speed, Asterix pulled his sword out and turned round, just in time to disarm the surprised Roman.

"Well-well-well," despite the dizziness caused by the swift movements and Egyptian sun, Asterix recognized the Roman who had been sitting on a branch of the tree and aiming at Obelix a couple of days before. "Look who's here! Moved to a warmer place? Remember that people don't like being shot!"

"So it was he who…" Obelix yelled furiously. A moment later he was holding Robinhoodus's neck with his left hand and slapping the Roman's face with his right saying "Nobody dares hurt my friends!" He was so into it that Asterix even had to calm him down.

"Sorry, Asterix," said Asterix, letting the barely living Roman go. Tears started forming in the well-covered Gaul's eyes. "I just thought that you… that I would never see you again!" and he cried loudly.

"I see, Obelix, I see," said Asterix, feeling a lump in his own throat. "But we'll talk about it later. And now we must talk to Cleopatra".

* * *

Meanwhile, the Gauls were doing their best, getting ready to fight with Romans. Getafix tried to encourage the others, to insure them that the gods hadn't left them but, unfortunately, to little effect.

* * *

"This is terrible!" Cleopatra was shocked. "I will try to come as fast as possible!"

"We need your intervention immediately, Your Majesty," said Asterix respectfully but steadily.

"Yes, but how? I am eager to start the journey right now!"

"If you allow me…" Asterix smiled. He was glad he hadn't drunk any magic potion on his way to Egypt, and there was a lot of it left. "I have an idea…"


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N Thanks for the reviews! Here is the final chapter at last! Also special thanks to __**Filosofie**__ for moral support and understanding! :)_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters were created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Asterix, Obelix, Cleopatra and her escort were boarding a small ship. Obelix joined the rowers to which Asterix was already giving magic potion. Just a moment later they were on their way.

The little Gaul was worrying. He wanted to know how the others were doing; his only wish was to come to the village in time.

"How mean, how low of Caesar!" Cleopatra rebelled. "How dares he! He owes you and your friends so much for your help against that horrible Brutus! We both do, actually…"

Asterix bowed slightly, recalling that adventure. It seemed to him that most of his problems then had been caused not by Brutus but by the other Gauls who had spread some really unpleasant rumours…

Sometime later they could finally see the shore. Suddenly Asterix remembered having seen a sack full of flour which must have been left on board in a hurry. Another idea came to his mind. Having drunk the remains of his potion he put the sack in a little boat which he floated off then, and jumped there himself. This must be fun. If only he had enough strength…

Asterix's little boat outranged the ship at once. It was exactly what he wanted…

* * *

The Indomitable Gauls managed to make a stand against the Romans. It was late night already, and the battle was in full play. The Gauls' mood was quite low-spirited, and the invaders were gaining victory. More and more clouds appeared in the sky. All of a sudden, something unexpected happened…

"By Toutatis, Gauls!" a thundering though very familiar voice sounded. Everyone turned his head to the source of it. On the top of a hill stood Asterix; he was white from head to foot. He was holding his sword above his head. The lightning flashed, making the little Gaul's silhouette look even more spectacular.

"It's a ghost!" the Romans started to shake badly. The Gauls were just staring at Asterix's little but really majestic figure in amazement.

"How can you be so coward?!" Asterix went on with his little performance, sometimes barely managing to shout down the thunder. "The gods are ashamed of you! _I_ am ashamed of you! Won't the Romans have to pay for all they have done?!"

"Yes!" someone shouted. "Let's take a vengeance for Asterix! And for our village!"

And the Gauls started to fight with doubled rage. The Romans were in panic. None of them had ever seen a dead man come from the other world to help his fellow countrymen. Finally, they just ran away.

Still on the top of the hill, Asterix felt his sword become heavier. He knew he shouldn't have overexerted this much after the wound but he just had _had_ to. The fatigue was taking over him at last. He climbed down the hill carefully and lay on the grass, feeling he needed to rest a bit. It began to rain that very moment.

* * *

Caesar was standing inside his tent, looking at the map and listening to the sound of the rain. At last the entire Gaul was conquered. "Veni, vidi, vici," he whispered under his breath.

"_What does it all mean???!!!_" this exclamation was so unexpected that it even made the dictator jump up. He turned round and saw Cleopatra right in front of him. He didn't know what to tell her and whether he was supposed to tell anything at all.

Suddenly a terrified Crismus Bonus stormed into the tent.

"Ghost!" he screamed. "The killed Gaul's ghost is back!"

Cleopatra got it at once. "So this is Asterix's idea!" she thought.

"Obelix has told me everything," she said to Caesar quietly when Crismus Bonus had run away. "This is your reward to poor Asterix! This is your gratitude for saving our son's life!"

"I'm… er… I am sorry," Caesar murmured. Strangely enough, he always became less self-confident when the Queen was around.

"Tell it to the Gauls! And you will rebuild everything you've destroyed!"

It was impossible to argue with the Queen of Queens so Caesar just had to obey.

* * *

Asterix opened his eyes and tried to figure out where he was. The rain was over and the sun was shining brightly.

"He's up!" Getafix smiled and all Gauls dashed to their hero.

"And where is Obelix?" asked Asterix when everyone was already sure he was alive.

"He's hunting in the forest," Fulliautomatix answered. "He hasn't eaten for some days already – since you…"

"I get it," Asterix interrupted.

"Almost everything is ready for the banquet!" Impedimenta exclaimed. "We'll have it just here, in this valley. It will take a while for the Romans to rebuild our village".

Finally Obelix came carrying as many boars as he could hold id his hands.

"And while the boars are being cooked, I'll sing the song of victory," Cacofonix stated.

"Only if you want to eat my hammer," Fulliautomatix warned him.

* * *

The Romans were working at the construction.

"You know," one soldier said to another, "I've noticed that we work as builders too much. Remember when we destroyed Cleopatra's palace? We had to rebuild it then… And when Brutus burned this village…"

"Yeah," the other agreed. "Join the army, they said! It's a man's life, they said!"

* * *

Caesar and Cleopatra were on their way to Rome. The dictator was already looking forward to a long and exhausting conversation with his furious wife.

* * *

"Asterix," said Obelix, feeling quite uneasy. "I just… I just wanted to tell you… thank you".

"Obelix," Asterix answered softly. "You didn't see that Roman… If I hadn't done what I had, I would never forgive myself. So don't thank for that".

"No, not for that… not just for that," Obelix shook his head. The little Gaul could see tears in his friend's eyes. "Thank you for not leaving me… for staying with us".

Asterix glanced at Obelix, not knowing what to say. He just laid his hand on his friend's shoulder and kept silent.

And the Gauls were enjoying their feast. Even Cacofonix was allowed to participate but only after he had promised not to sing.

Everything was going to be well, as the villagers knew. And all the upcoming adventures were going to end well. Weren't they?...

**The end**


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